Life lessons and reasoned opinions on the world as it is and how it might be.
Frederick Van Johnson, friend and former USAF combat photographer, has a great, short video sharing how to say thanks to a veteran. So, if you do not know any veterans or are nervous to approach one, this is a great, simple way to do so.
I try to do the same thing when I see active duty military, particularly when in airports, as I assume they are headed to or coming back from a deployment and that might be when they need to hear it the most.
Facebook, Twitter and other social media need a “Hide Spoilers” setting/button/algorithm.
End users would select “Hide Spoilers” in their profile settings. Content creators would add the #spoilers hashtag to their content. In addition, users would have the ability to flag untagged content (specific posts, not full sites) as containing spoilers.
Social media providers would then simply hide flagged content in the user’s feeds. No content, pro or amateur, would ever be destroyed. Users could always reveal spoiler content if desired.
Thoughts?
A short film with a powerful message.
Navy SEAL. The very term says “bad ass”.
Like most folks, I was surprised when the story broke that a former SEAL had recently come out as transgender and was in the process of transitioning from male to female. My first thought was “how incredibly brave”.
Imagine that, my first reaction to the story how brave this person was; a friggin Navy SEAL, with seven combat deployments to her credit.
I never served in the Armed Forces. But, I consider myself fortunate to know and call friend many who have; especially several combat veterans from Vietnam. Their stories, of the mistreatment they experienced when returning home, have always stuck with me. As a result, while I have not always supported our wars, I have always supported our soldiers. Those men and women prepare to make the ultimate sacrifice in service to the United States. They deserve our respect and support; especially when they return home.
“Lady Valor” is the story of Kristin Beck. The film is equal parts gut-wrenching and poignant. It is clear that denying his true self was destroying Christopher Beck. At some level, it drove him to excellence as a SEAL while destroying his inner life and, ultimately, his marriage. Becoming Kristin seems to have changed much of that.
What I found most compelling was the way the folks around Beck supported her. Sure, there were and remain folks with negative reactions to her change. But, many of the folks you would expect to have the most extreme reactions (e.g. football coach father, big brother, fellow SEALs) have chosen to love and support the man they loved as a son, brother or brother-in-arms. It is clear that, in retrospect, each recognized and respected the emotional, existential turmoil with which Christopher Beck once lived. Rather than rejecting Chris as weak, they embraced Kristin; as family should.
As for the rest of us, if anyone deserves to live free … in body and spirit … in the United States, it is Kristin Beck.
“Lady Valor” is now on Netflix and absolutely worth your time to watch.
Subscribed to the Button Poetry’s YouTube Channel yet? If not, you should be.
Why? Good poetry is evocative and provocative. It challenges one to think. As a result, regardless of one’s discipline, it can be a catalyst for one’s own creative endeavors.
From time to time, I will post poems that move me, like “Khaleesi” by Tonya Ingram and Venessa Marco.
Why “Khaleesi”?
This is a beautiful, powerful poem which reminds me of my early career in human services and the children & families I had the honor to serve. It is part duet and part performance art, something I’ve never seen in a poem before … which challenges me to expand my view of the medium. While the title is drawn from a Game of Thrones character, I love that the artists speak to their own lives, not the character, but use her as an indirect reference to their own emergence as strong, forthright women.
At least, that is my interpretation. Regardless. It is moving and entirely worth watching.